by Anne MacLennan
Pesticides
Have you noticed that unwaxed lemons from the Co-op are treated with Imazalil (fungicide), pyrimethanil (fungicide) and preservative E-202 (potassium sorbate)? Lettuce often harbours multiple pesticides, which can be reduced, but not eliminated, by washing with cold water though scientists have tried various washing techniques!
New ways of detecting pesticides in fruit and vegetables suggest that the residues can be more than skin deep, so simply washing a (non-organic) apple for instance won’t remove the toxin, but peeling is effective. Many pesticide residues will have decomposed by the time the food is eaten, but too many will have at least a tiny amount.
In 2021, pesticides were applied to 89% of a sampled Scottish vegetable crop area: herbicides to 84% of the area, fungicides 75%, insecticides 42 %, molluscicides 13 %, and 28% of seed was treated. For the whole country, it was estimated that nearly 150,000 hectares were treated with 54 tonnes of pesticides. For soft fruit, the estimate was 13 tonnes over 92% of their cropping area, mostly fungicides.
More than 3.5 MILLION tons of pesticide active ingredients are now used globally every year.
30 years ago, less than 0.1% of applied pesticides actually reached their target pests, so 99.9% landed elsewhere, contaminating soil, water and air to cause adverse impacts on soil organisms and human health.
Wind, sun, rain and pest resistance are still interfering with effectiveness and safety. Nanomaterials and techniques are being developed to improve adhesion and enable penetration, prolonging the accuracy and duration of effective dosing. This means that less nasty chemicals are needed and wasted – so less hit the wrong targets, but one wonders how that impacts on (edible) pesticide retained within the target plant.
Pesticides are regarded as important to ensure sustainable food supplies to a growing population, but it is acknowledged that users who don’t understand how to manage them are contributing to increasing problems: pest resistance, harm to beneficial organisms, resurgence of pests, toxic residues in food, water and air, ecosystem disruption and acute and chronic human illness.
There are safer ways to manage pests and – to avoid potentially contaminated food – buy organic or grow your own without chemicals where you can.
Oh – and 99% pesticides are made from fossil fuels.
Read more at the Pesticide Action Network including ranking of supermarkets.
Other unwanted ingredients
Bite Back is a youth activist movement aiming to challenge the current food system, realising that junk food has surrounded them since birth. Recognising the manipulation and deception of giant food companies and threats to the health of a generation, they are determined to bite back. Their latest published research found that the majority of global food manufacturers rely on selling unhealthy products in the UK, and that seven of the top ten businesses are using child-appealing tactics on packaging for unhealthy food. Plenty more on their website.